I followed a street that was wide, & led Down a friendly way, where the folks, instead
Of thinking that they were always right, Would admit that sometimes they were not . . .quite. Had a cheery smile when we chanced to meet They would sy "hello" in a friendly tone, And you cared for them like your very own. There was not one person along the way Who would mar the happiness of the day. & it was a place where just friends meet, This pleasant & wide old friendly street. & those who lived there were the kind who say, "Well, what if he did do a wrong today? Last night, when the rest of you were asleep, I heard him talk & I heard him weep; & he knelt & prayed till dawn was aflame & still the right answer never came Or perhaps it WAS right--who are we to say That it was an error he made today?" There's a side to that & a side to this-- Couldn't we be the ones who might really miss? Oh, it was a pleasure to meet & greet The folks who lived on this friendly street. But the street I followed was in a dream; I've found that , often, in life's great scheme Where it's made of the folks we know Who over the rough paths, & even, go, When the going's rough, & we sometimes make The turn that will end in a sad mistake, There's a good side there if we care to find That side, instead of being so unkind. But the man who KNOWS he is always right & the world is wrong--& there's no respite For the man who has strayed; will never meet You, & cheer you on, down this friendly street. Oh, I'd hate to be, when life here is through, the man who was certain that only he knew The right side of every trial that came, & that those the chose were the ones to blame. For I'am certain God will have mercy there For the man who erred; &---I hope---to spare For the man who stands at the Judgment Seat To explain why his was on friendship street. |
A Fairy allows me three wishes,
three wishes for a friend; Now, honest & true, that must be you, So three to you I send. I wish you a body so healthy That living is pure delight; Your work every day like happy play; Your sleep like a child's at night. I wish you a mind so responsive That nothing escapes your ken; The Creator's plan, nor the notes of Pan, Nor the good in your fellow men. I wish you a heart prone to loving, That all may be dear to you; Your friends indeed, all those you need, & those who need you, too. I've wished you my three best wishes, But the three are really one; God grant you wealth---just perfect health, Until your day done. There are no friends like old friends, & none so good & true; We greet them when we meet them, As roses greet the dew; No other friends are dearer, though born of kindred mold; & while we prize the new ones, We treasure more the old. There are no friends like old friends, Where'er we dwell or roam, In lands beyond the ocean, Or near the bounds of home; & where they smile to gladden, Or sometimes frown to guide, We fondly wish those old friends Were always by our side. There are no friends like old friends, to calm our frequent fears, When shadows fall & deepen Through life's declining years; And when our faltering footsteps Approach the Great Divide, We'll long to meet the old friends Who wait on the other side |